Taiwanese biggest users of Facebook in Asia

Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) Facebook's penetration rate in Taiwan is higher than in any other Asian market, according to a Facebook marketing executive who arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday.

Dan Neary, the vice-president of the social networking giant's Asia-Pacific marketing team, praised the avid use of Facebook in Taiwan and said his company highly valued Taiwan's market.

According to Facebook data released earlier this year, the number of active Facebook users in Taiwan has reached 14 million per month, or about a 60 percent penetration rate, and the number of daily users has hit 10 million.

That penetration rate is the highest anywhere in Asia, edging out Hong Kong (roughly 58 percent) for the top spot. Facebook's overall penetration rate in Asia at the end of 2012 was 6.5 percent.

Neary also noted that Taiwanese Facebook users have distinctive characteristics. They are especially fond of sharing gourmet food photos on the site and using the "check in" function.

In Taiwan on a promotional trip, Neary said the company intended to provide more services for business users in the future to extend its reach in the local market.

Facebook now has over 1.1 billion active users worldwide, of which 800 million access Facebook via smartphones, and user numbers have been growing at an annual rate of 20 percent, Neary said.

The company also has over 1 million active advertisers worldwide even though Facebook did not enter the advertising business until three years ago, Neary said.

He attributed the fast growth mainly to Facebook's requirement that users give their real identities on its platform. That helps advertisers get a higher response rate and avoid wasting time on non-target users, Neary said.